+ inload: ...to the new+

+ ...to the new +

+ I was the happy recipient of a copy of Burning of Prospero (BoP) at Christmas, and last night saw me digging it out to start building. I had toyed with the idea of converting the set using the 'true scale' method, but eventually decided that I'd prefer to save the time and just enjoy having a stand-alone boardgame – I enjoyed Battle for Calth (BaC), but cannibalised a lot of the pieces for my truescale marines, and so it's sitting there a little forlorn. In any case, the models are fantastic straight out of the box. +

+ In addition, there are quite a few other Thousand Son/Space Wolf forces in my gaming group, the PCRC. By building them straight off the sprue, I'll be able to field them alongside the others for a properly apocalyptic game with no wonky sizing issues at some point in the future. +

+ Here is one of ten enlarged test pieces (a Space Wolf, in this example), and the only one to receive paint. I very much like the dark chromatic grey paintscheme I worked out, and will definitely be using that on the Vlka Fenryka for the game. It's essentially a glaze of thinned Charadon Granite over a grey-primed figure, which is then partially removed using a clean cloth or finger while still wet. This creates a very natural gradient. +

+ Models for the game +

+ While the models in BoP are lovely – it was a genuine pleasure to sit down and simply build stuff straight off the sprue – I couldn't resist adding a few personal touches to my set. Having lots of bits left over from BaC, I decided that these figures would combine parts from BoP and BaC, alongside a few parts from my bits box, in order to make the two opposing forces in the game visually distinct. +

+ Members of the Rout. To my mind, the Vlka Fenryka are pragmatic above all else, so I'm not really concerned with uniformity. Instead, I am aiming for a more visually brutal, dynamic look for the VIth Legion, mostly based around the Mark III set, but with suitably parts swapped in to suggest the slightly archaic look of the Legion. While these are the Loyalists, they're only nominally goodies. I wanted to play on that slight dichotomy and give them a look similar to Chaos marines in 40k. +

+ I definitely want to have a light touch with any 'wolf' parts. The crests here are a good example of what I think feels right to me, though I may add a pelt or charm or two. It's the difference between using a feather, and using a chicken. +

+ In contrast, I've built the arrogant warrior-sages of the XVth with a much cleaner, more uniform look. As befitting their studious (some would argue war-shy) nature and open, civilised culture, I've opted for the most advanced armour broadly available to the Legions: Mark IV 'Maximus' armour. In order to introduce some variety, I've kitbashed extensively with the Mark III armour from BoP and Mark IV from BaC, but have heavily favoured Mark IV helms and backpacks to contrast with the grilles and pipes of the Mark III I'm using on the Wolves. +

+ You'll spot a few Forgeworld pieces – the lighter greys – scattered here and there, particularly on the Sergeant. These are included for variety of pose as much as anything else. +

+ A close-up of the sergeant and a couple of others. +